The Horse Whisperer ( Click for Larger View)

The wild ponies of Llandwynne seemed in a very friendly mood, grooming

each other, and in this case seeming to share a few bits of juicy gossip!

 

Or maybe it was just whispering "That's the guy that took my photo last

time" : - ) Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated. Thank

You!

Hi Alf,

  Beautiful image with wonderful colors & details.  Into my favorite's this one goes.  Take care, Patsy

It's just like you to to have made sure that the color of the left horse's mane would be the same as the grass.  

You got it all in this mage - the magnificent presence unique to horses, a vivid sense of the wind's movement, and exquisite color and detail.  Bravo!!

michael

Your signature detail and compelling composition is first noticed and then the subjects grab our attention.  Indeed it appears there's a private conversation in progress and Chunky is checking to see if you're listening.  Excellent...  Mike

Hi Alf-Beautiful,the soft tones are very appealing. The windblown long grasses & long manes & tails on the two beauties tell us this is a remote & isolated place & one lucky photographer.Notice both are slightly swaybacked, probably around he same age or is this characteristic of this breed, Well, thank you,I have another fine image to be visited & enjoyed now & then. Very Best Regards-Ross

I have not visited PN for a long time but this one caught my attention right after I clicked the website. The way you bring out those details and the natural-looking colour rendition is just marvellous. This is a precious moment caught the way the horses seem to 'fondle' each other. A well presented image, Alf. Congratulations!

Beautiful work, Alf.  The tones and colors are excellent.  

Very well done, really a wonderful composition!

Hi Alf,

 This is a very beautiful image. The incredibly clear detail of the grass and the horses is almost unbelievable. Well composed as always, I just love the one horse looking at us and the title is not only clever but also appropriate. Another great one my friend. Take care.

Best Always,

Holger

 

 

Lester says it so well.... I find these horses to be so beautiful It's like they belong en a Fairytale. Lovely detail, pov and presentation Alf.

Sincere regards, Gail

Hi Alf, Not sure about this, I love the composition, however, the colouring is not grabbing me. But view it large, and the detail in the coats of the horse's and grass is brill.

All The Best

Gary

PS Could the one horse be saying "Smile, we are on Photo.net again"

Is not only the splendid subject you caught and ponies posture but way you worked is also to observe.In large view details from grass foreground to ponies are so well seen and gives to me a feeling of a bit surreal artistic view,very nice result.That one that looks to camera indeed is like ask you as you said in story.Color is another element that catch the attention,they have thick hair like a fur maybe cause of winter conditions where usually live,left one mane in wind looks so good.

my best regards

Alf, this is a lovely moment and your timing here is great. Funny and clever title, too!

Regards, Yannis

Color and detail are beautiful. The horse looking at you is wanting to make sure you have the camera settings just right. Take care, Deanna

Nothing more to add than what has already been said!

Other than, . . .

 

I can say that the "Wild Horses" in your region obviously have a better diet than the few (if any) remaining Wild Mustang Horses of the U.S.!

 

Very good shot with all the right attributes!

 

Cheers,

Jim j.

Those before me have aptly covered the attributes of this lovely image, leaving me to say -

well done, yet again another superb image.

(out and about in the van yet?)

Best regards

Beautiful work: a very well balanced composition and a lot of sharp details! Compliments and best regards.

I laughed out loud when I read your title!  Very clever.  This has your trademark excellent editing!  I love the detail of the mane and grasses in the large view, and the chestnut color of the horses and the warmth of the grasses contrast beautifully against the cool grey tones of the sky.  

fabulous tones, very well done.

Well composed with the ponies contributing to the horizon line.  The neutral colors make this a winner for me.  Excellent work, Alf.

Thank you so much! 

 

I'm very honoured that you consider this a favourite! 

 

Cheers! 

 

Alf 

 

MICHAEL

 

Ahh yes I insist that all my models have colour co-ordinated hair : - ) 

 

The original colours looked a bit more rich than this, but I thought it looked a bit too saturated and consequently made adjustments.

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback, much appreciated! 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

MIKE 

 

lol @ "Chunky"  Shhh she has feelings you know!

I was listening Mike, but it didn't do any good they were conversing in their native tongue ........Welsh!   : - ) 

 

Sincere Thanks! 

 

Alf 

 

ROSS 

 

I am very lucky to have such locations within 90 minutes or so from my home. The location can be a too remote at this time of year and the island is always exposed to high winds even on the calmest of days. On this visit the storms had even washed away the new walkway that were put in place last year.

I think the shape of these ponies are all pretty much the same, they are extremely strong and hardy creatures that can withstand the elements! 

It's very gratifying to read that you have enjoyed viewing this one.

 

My Sincere Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

LESTER 

 

Great to hear from you!  I do hope you are keeping well and will start posting again soon?

I wasn't at all sure about the original colour as it looked a bit too rich, and so I made some small adjustments which seems to have been well received. I too was fascinated by the behaviour of the horses, they did seem intent on making contact with each other.

Sincere Thanks Lester! 

 

Alf 

 

BILL

 

Many Thanks for your interest and kind words.

 

After the initial processing I thought the colours were a bit strong and desaturated them slightly.

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

MAURIZIO 

 

 

Thank you for your visit and positive feedback! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

HOLGER 

 

The Sigma 70 - 200 mm F / 2.8 tends to be a bit heavy, but I find the weight of this lens tends to keep my hands steady, much more so than any of my other lenses, where I would use a tripod. 

Glad you liked the title too, I thought it might a bit of a cliché, but as you mentioned it does seem appropriate.

 

Many Thanks Holger & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

GAIL 

 

You would love this place, it is steeped in history and legends, so your impressions of "Fairytales" is not very far from the mark. 

St Dwynwen (A woman) is known as the Welsh Patron Saint of Lovers, if you type the name into Google you can read some of the fascinating history of her and this place. 

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and encouraging words Gail! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

GARY 

 

The original colour was somewhat more saturated and maybe that would have been to your preference. But I thought it was looking a little bit too rich, and consequently desaturated it slightly...maybe too much. 

 

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and considerate feedback! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

 

RADU 

 

Thank you for your interest and thoughtful feedback, very much appreciated.

You are quite right of course, it wasn't just a lucky single shot, I followed the group of about 8 ponies for over two hours, and only got 2 - 3 shots that I really liked, the horses are usually seen with their heads amongst the grass, grazing on the sparse vegetation, and these shots have been deleted! 

You are right about their coat too, they do indeed have a very thick covering of hair that enables them to withstand the harsh elements. The island is very flat and open to the winds which you can see from the image. 

 

Best Regards 

 

 

Alf 

 

YANNIS 

 

Many Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback. 

 

The timing is crucial with these animals, they so often have their heads buried in the long grass, that it is difficult to get a good clear shot. I was quite fortunate here that they decided to communicate with each other! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

DEANNA 

 

You could be right Deanna, that horse like a lot of top models these days, seemed quite vain and surely wouldn't want a second rate photo for her portfolio : - ) 

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

JIM 

 

I suppose the "green green grass of home" (to steal a Tom Jones song title) is quite nourishing, but even so in winter it looks a bit sparse to me. 

I'm not even sure to what extent these animals are "wild" in the true sense of the word. I know they roam free on Llandwynne Island and have done for as long as I remember.  But I can't find out much about their origins.

Many Thanks for your interest and positive feedback Jim! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

GRAYHAM 

 

Sincere Thanks for your interest and kind words, much appreciated! 

 

I have been out and about in the van, but not ventured forth on any extensive journeys or adventures just yet.  The weather in the UK has been so unsettled and totally unpredictable!  We usually have snow and frost at this time of year, but January was the wettest on record! 

Still, it has to stop sometime........doesn't it?  Maybe I should have invested in an Ark instead of a van : - ) 

Take Care Mate! 

 

Alf 

 

FEDERICO 

 

Many Thanks for your interest and thoughtful feedback! 

I have been practising my hand held shots, and they have improved a bit. 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

CHRISTAL 

 

I was going to spin another tale and say the horse had a really bad cough and then give it the title "The Hoarse Whisperer" : - )  But I thought that might have been pushing it too far! 

Glad that made you laugh though! 

 

We were quite fortunate, some cloud had gathered to allow a bit of texture in the sky whilst the sunset which was on the right was giving off the nice warm tones.  The most difficult aspect was catching a moment when the horses were not too busy feeding their faces! 

 

Sincere Thanks Christal! 

 

Best Regards 

 

 

Alf 

 

ZSOLT 

 

Many Thanks for your interest and positive feedback! 

 

Best Regards

 

Alf 

 

WAYNE 

 

I tried to photograph them above the horizon on a quite a few occasions, but they were not being very cooperative.   

Glad you like the colours too, as this was another aspect of the image I wasn't too sure about. 

 

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

Everyone has already said so much that I would just be parroting.  The image gives me the feeling of some story I read in one of James Herriot's works.  Beautifully done, by your skilled hands and eyes.  Best regards...

 

-Dave

 

P.S.  I still think you keep ponies on retainer.   ;-)

Alf,

Excellent work!

Best regards, Tina

Impressive 3D effect (larger view), Alf! Beautiful. BR

Gorgeous shot. I especially appreciate the eyes. Great timing and composition as always.